The first vehicle i drove off road was a 1952 Ford Sedan. Then there was a 1949 Chev 2wd truck with a 4 speed. The 4 speed was cool, the truck had no traction, but it did have the 7 window cab. The 1954 Buick had a 3 speed manual, and it went fast. This is the only car i ever rode airborne, the day we ran down a coyote, and the gunner killed it with his shotgun shooting out the passenger window. We clocked antelope running out on the prairie, with that old Buick. Antelope can run 60 to 65 mile per hour. Don't tell me they can't, because i know. The first 4wd was a 1968 GMC purchased new for $4700.

The 1979 F250 is the one i would take on the trail shown in the OP. It has ARB lockers front and rear. It is prepped for a winch front, and rear. The 4 speed with granny gear, coupled with a two speed transfer case provides an unbelievable crawl speed. It carried an over cab camper, and pulled a boat too. What a wonderful truck that one is.

Set up so well, it makes for a careless driver, and one day i drove it into a frozen swamp, but it wasn't frozen. The rear mounted winch saved me that morning. Then later that day i drove it onto a trail covered by a sheet of ice from a spring. The front of the truck slid slowly into a tree, and i couldn't figure out how to get away without damaging the truck. Then it dawned on me with the lockers, i maybe could use one chain on the other front tire, and slowly move away. Wow it worked perfectly, just one tire chain. After being stuck twice, i had a little day light left, and proceeded. Then i cut a fresh elk track; left the truck following the elk, and found him bedded. Taking him up to the truck the next morning on a pack frame, all alone 4 trips, was a hard thing for me to do.

Twice i chained up all four of the '79, to get closer to dead elk. One elk, we packed out on pack frames, maybe 2 mile, the other i drove close, and using the truck, drug it to a tree. Then after tying a snatch block in the tree as high as i could reach from the top of the cab, i loaded the whole elk with the winch mounted in the rear. When i got a new truck, i couldn't bring myself to trade the old '79 in, so we gave it to our son.











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